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Vaccines could save Michigan's economy $500 million

According to a report released on Thursday by the Michigan Primary Care Consortium, Michigan's economy would improve by approximately $500 million if residents were immunized against infectious diseases like influenza and pneumonia.

The report found that for each $1 spent on adult immunizations, close to $20 was saved in workplace productivity, visits to emergency rooms, and doctors and treatments. The report estimated the economic costs of flu, pneumonia, shingles and whooping cough, the Detroit News reports.

"Failure (of adults) to immunize has serious economic consequences for the state of Michigan," Joseph Fortuna, the vice chair of the Michigan Primary Care Consortium, said, according to the Detroit News. "It's not just financial economic consequences for doctors' visits and hospital visits. It's also the indirect costs of people being out of work, or being at work and not feeling good and not being able to function."

Fortuna said that adults don't tend to get immunized because they don't understand its importance. There are those who question the validity of the report.

"The whole push for vaccination is just another push for pharmaceuticals," Sue Waltman, the president and founder of Michigan Opposing Mandatory Vaccines, said, according to the Detroit News. "There are other ways to stay healthy.